Variable seat connector



Bec. 29, i942. E. DnBNr-:R

VARIMBLE` SEAT CONNECTOR Filed Aug.v3, 1940 Patented Dec. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VARIABLE 'SEAT CONNECTOR Bern Dibner, Crompond, N; Y.

Application August 3, 1940, Serial No. 350,264

9 Claims.

My invention relates to an electrical connector `lorgrippingelectrical conductors.

In industrial building, Wiring electrical terminals, T-connectors, straight connectors, etc. are

widely used for making joints in electrical wires or.v cables. Such joints are usually made on switchboards, panel boards, or in enclosed boxes of 'one type or another. Because industrial plants are very often subject to many changes in size, location of machines, etc., the wiring usually includes several sizes of electrical conductors. This means that' connectors which are purchased in in dustrial establishments should accommodate a range of cable or wire sizes in order that the maintenance stocks of connectors of different vclamping element which can be rotated in relation to the connector body in order to grip the conductor at" any convenient angle.

Still anotherI object of my invention is to -provide an assemblyr which may be retained in uni.- tary relationship'so that no parts of the assem- Ably may become misplaced or lost.

Il accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as will be apparent from the device.y described in the following`r specification,

'particularly pointed out in the attached claims,

and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which:

f Fig. 1 is a top View, partially in section, of my novel connector. Y

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view, along the. line 3-3 kof Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 isa side View of amodied form thereof.

Asrindicated in the drawingy my clamping element may consist of an eye I0 with a slightly thickened portion I I at onesectionof the periphery and outwardly extending wing portions i2 and I3 opposite the thickened portion. Through the thickened portion II, a threaded hole I4 is formed. The eye I0 ts into a hollow socket 20, along the rim of which are a number of grooves 2| which may be spaced at any desired angle. A

cap screw 30 passes through a hole 2,2 inthe bottom of the socket 20, and ts into the threaded hole I4 in the eye I0. When a wire or cable 40 is inserted through the eye I0, it rests in the desired grooves 2| on the rim'of the socket, and it is clamped rmly thereto by tightening the screw which pulls the eye into the socket and causes the extending wing portions to apply pressure on the cable.

The eye I0, socket 20 and screw 30 comprise a unitary assembly, since the screw need not be withdrawn completely from the. eye I0. However, the end of the screw may be peened, as at 4I, so that it cannot be withdrawn from the eye. Thus the screw is freeto advancefurther into the eye to clamp the cable between the eye andthe socket but it cannot be dis-assembled or lost.

By making the length of my screw just a trie too short to reach Vthe bottom of the grooveswhich are in the rim of the socket, I make sure that all clamping pressure is exerted between the. extending wings of the eye and the grooves in the rim of the socket. Under no circumstances. can. the

end of the screw apply pressure on the conductor and thereby damage the conductor.

By making the socket round and making the contour of the outside of the eye to t, I can rotate the eye to any position relative to the socket and can thus clamp the cable at any angle to the socket. For convenience, I have placed a number of grooves in the rim of the socket to locate the cable at denite angles.

The range of cabler sizes that IV can clamp in Y my connector is limited only by the proportions of the various parts. The maximum cable size that can be clamped is determined by the diameter of the hole in the eye. The minimum cable size that can be clamped is determined by the depth of the socket and the length of the cap screw. My clamping element is so devised that as the cable sizes to be clamped `get smaller my eye is drawn further into the socket without causing any other portion of the clamping element to become exposed. As a result, the overall dimensions of my clamping element becomes smaller as the conductor it clamps becomes smaller. This is a decided advantage, especially in crowded locations or Where the connector must be taped.

In the connector shown in Figs. l and 2, the socket 20v is formed integrally with a clamping member 23, by the extended arm 22. The clamping member 23 is provided with a cable socket 24.

Two bolts 25 are shown for compressing a corresponding socket 26 about the cable 21.

As has been previously stated, my terminal can be used with T-connectors, straight connectors, and all other types, including plain terminals, such as are illustrated in Fig. 4, where I. have shown a modified form of my device. This consists of a U-bolt 50 provided with threaded legs 5| a socket member 60 provided with grooves 6I, extending plate 62 provided with an aperture G3. A nut 'l0 completes the assembly. The pressure of the nut drives the socket member 60 against cable 10, which is held by the U-bolt 50.

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, thev same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention,

and, therefore, I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which, objects of my invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A connector for connecting a cable to a conductor in spaced apart relationship, comprising a cable enclosing member; a socket member having a recess therein and provided with a plurality of diametrically positioned grooves for receiving the cable in any one of a plurality of positions, said socket member having a conductor engaging arm extending therefrom and having means for securing a conductor thereto, for transmitting current from the cable to the conductor;

and means for drawing the cable enclosing member to the socket member, about the cable.

2. A connector for connecting a cable to a conductor in spaced apart relationship, comprising a member having an eye for receiving a cable through said eye, a socket member having a recess therein and provided with a plurality of diametrically positioned grooves for receiving the cable in any one of a plurality of positions, said socket member having a conductor engaging arm extending therefrom and having means for securing a conductor thereto, for transmitting current from the cable to the conductor; and means for drawing the cable enclosing member to the socket member, about the cable.

3. A connector for connecting a cable to a conductor in spaced apart relationship, comprising a U-bolt member for receiving a cable in the U of said bolt; a socket member having a recess therein and provided with a plurality of diametrically Ipositioned grooves for receiving the cable in any one of a pluralityof positions, said socket member having a conductor engaging arm extending therefrom and having means for securing a conductor thereto, for transmitting current from the cable to the conductor; and means for drawing the cable enclosing member to the socket member, about the cable.

4. A connector comprising an eye member having an eye for receiving a cable therethrough, and having a threaded hole therein transverse to the axis of said eye; a socket member having a recess for a portion of said eye member and an aperture in alignment with the threaded hole in said eye member and a conductor engaging arm extending therefrom for transmitting current from the cable to a conductor; and a cap screw passing through the aperture in said socket member, and threadedly engaging the threaded hole in said eye member, whereby the rotation of said cap screw will cause said eye member to be forced into said recess and clamp the cable between the eye and socket members.

5. A connector comprising an eye member having an'eye for receiving a cable therethrough, and having a threaded hole therein transverse to the axis of said eye; a socket member having a recess for a portion of said eye member and an aperture inalignment with the threaded hole in said eye member and a conductor engaging arm extending 4therefrom for transmitting current from the cable to a conductor; and a cap screw `passing through the aperture in said socket member, and threadedly engaging the threaded hole in said eye member, and having a length suicient to prevent the end of said screw from engaging the conductor, whereby the rotation of said cap screw will cause said eye member to be forced into said recess and clamp the cable between the eye and socket members.

6. A connector comprising an eye member having an eye for receiving a cable therethrough, and having a threaded hole therein transverse to the axis of said eye; a socket member having a recess for a portion of said eye member and an aperture in alignment with the threaded hole in said eye member and provided with a plurality of diametrically formed grooves about the edge of the recess in said socket member; and a cap screw passing through the aperture in said socket member, and threadedly engaging the threaded hole in said eye member, whereby the rotation of said cap screw will cause said eye member to be forced into said recess and clamp the cable between the eye and Socket members.

'7. A connector comprising an eye member having an eye for receiving a cable therethrough, and having a threaded hole therein transverse to the axis of said eye; a socket member having a recess for a portion of said eye member and an aperture in alignment with the threaded hole in said eye member and provided with a plurality of diametrically formed grooves about the edge of the recess in said socket member and a conductor engaging arm extending therefrom for transmitting current from the cable to a conductor; and a cap screw passing through the aperture in said socket member, and threadedly engaging the threaded hole in said eye member and having a length which will not project above the level of the grooves in the socket member, whereby the rotation of said cap lscrew will cause said eye member to be forced into said recess and clamp the cable between the eye and socket members. 8. A connector comprising an eye member having an eye for receiving a cable therethrough, and having a threaded hole therein transverse to the axis of said eye; a socket member having a recess for a portion of said eye member and an aperture in alignment with the threaded hole in said eye member and a conductor engaging arm extending therefrom for transmitting current 'from the cable to a conductor; and a cap screw passing through the aperture in said socket member, and threadedly engaging the threaded hole in said eye member, the end of the cap screw being peened over at the end thereof to prevent withdrawal from the eye member, whereby the rotation of said cap screw will cause said eye member to be forced into said recess and clamp the cable between the eye and socket members.

9. A connector comprising an eye member having an eye for receiving a cable therethrough, and having a threaded hole therein transverse to the axis of said eye; a socket member having a recess for a portion of said eye member and an aperture in alignment with the threaded hole in said eye member and a conductor engaging arm extending therefrom for transmitting current from i0 the cable to a conductor, said eye member adapted to fit in the recess in any position about the axis of the recess; and a cap screw passing through the aperture in said socket member, and threadedly engaging the threaded hole in said eye member, whereby the rotation of said cap screw will cause said eye member to be forced into said recess and clamp the cable between the eye and socket members.

BERN DIBNER. 

